A dear friend in Christian ministry once told me, “Healthy churches grow by attracting others.”
Read more Survey says nearly half of college students think ‘hate speech’ should be met with violence
As we celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday, I am tempted to extend that reasoning and suggest that healthy nations grow by attracting others.
Thomas Jefferson expressed his confidence in America’s experiment in self-government in a letter written in 1787: “I have no fear, but that the result of our experiment will be, that men may be trusted to govern themselves without a master.”
Our American experiment in representative democracy has endured for nearly 250 years. Despite our failures, contradictions, and struggles, its promise of liberty and self-government has inspired people around the world.
Our success, however, has not gone unchallenged. The control freaks—both within our borders and beyond them—have reason to resent a system that demonstrates the possibility of freedom without a master. Such a system threatens their ambitions and undermines their claims that people cannot govern themselves.
As another election approaches, partisans on both the left and right warn us that our republic is hanging by a thread and that only their victory can guarantee its survival. To borrow a familiar expression, “C’mon, man! Gimme a break!”
We have a good thing going, but that does not mean we can afford to become complacent. Dangers abound, circling like hungry sharks, and preserving our republic requires vigilance, responsibility, and a willingness to confront our shortcomings.
As a retired schoolteacher, I hate to admit that American public education does not always produce citizens who are grateful for their country and eager to contribute to its future. We have a remarkable nation, yet too many students seem to be taught to view its traditions with suspicion rather than to understand both its accomplishments and its failures.
We should not underestimate the influence of teachers’ unions and the educational establishment. Meaningful reform is essential if we are to educate students who understand America’s founding principles, take pride in our nation’s achievements, and accept responsibility for improving our society. Our goal should be to reform a failing system, not abandon our responsibility to educate the next generation.
Political operatives sometimes seem guided by a simple mantra: Do whatever it takes to win. But our society cherishes fairness, and that principle must extend to our elections. Allegations of cheating, questionable practices, and campaigns that place victory above integrity breed mistrust.
The presidential elections of 1960, 2000, and 2020 each generated disputes or suspicions about fairness. Whatever conclusions we draw from those contests, we should agree on one essential principle: Free and fair elections are more important than partisan victory. Just as we expect fairness in sports, we must insist on honesty, transparency, and accountability in our electoral process.
Immigration presents another challenge. In 2026, one party is loudly calling for immigration reform after the Biden administration’s border policies drew widespread criticism and the country experienced substantial unauthorized immigration.
Whatever our political affiliations, we need sensible immigration laws, secure borders, and a process that treats people humanely while respecting the rule of law. A nation that cannot control its borders risks undermining public confidence in its government.
Finally, we must protect the American Dream. People come to this country hoping that, through hard work, determination, and personal responsibility, they can build better lives for themselves and their families. Yet many young Americans face an economy in which buying a home, raising children, and achieving financial security seem increasingly out of reach.
A republic that promises opportunity must work to keep that promise. The American Dream should be more than a nostalgic slogan; it should remain a realistic aspiration for the next generation.
Our experiment in republican democracy is not guaranteed to succeed. No generation can simply inherit liberty and assume it will endure. Each must understand its blessings, confront its failures, and accept responsibility for its preservation.
Jefferson believed that people could govern themselves without a master. Nearly 250 years later, we have an opportunity—and an obligation—to prove that he was right.
May our nation remain a beacon of liberty, a model of self-government, and a country that attracts others not merely because of what it offers, but because of what it represents.
Image created using AI.
Ned Cosby, a frequent contributor to American Thinker, is a former pastor, veteran Coast Guard officer, and a retired career public high school teacher. His novel OUTCRY is a love story exposing the refusal of Christian leaders to report and discipline clergy who sexually abuse our young people. This work of fiction addresses crimes that are all too real. Cosby has also written RECOLLECTIONS FROM MY FATHER’S HOUSE, tracing his own odyssey from 1954 to the present. For more info, visit Ned Cosby.
Read more ‘Virginia man’ charged with sledgehammering, severely damaging Iwo Jima memorial in Quantico